1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a speech recognition system, and more particularly, to a speech recognition system that recognizes speech by comparing speech patterns to reference strings.
2. Related Art
Systems have been developed that recognize limited vocabularies spoken by specific individuals. When a statement is made, these systems compare spoken speech patterns to reference speech patterns. Using a template matching technique, probabilities are assigned to the speech patterns that most closely resemble the spoken patterns. Other speech recognition systems apply complex algorithms to the spoken word. The application of complex algorithms may introduce delays that adversely affect a speech recognition system's performance.
In a template matching speech system, speech recognition can be delayed by the large number of comparisons that occur when identifying a spoken word. The difficulty of the search and the large number of evaluations may result in intolerable delays and complexity. Therefore, a need exists for a speech recognition system that understands the spoken word and minimizes objectionable delays.